Union president, 25 bus firm workers held for ‘keeping guns’ in quarters

A labor union president and 25 other employees of a bus company were arrested by the police who found several firearms and a grenade in their work site quarters in Pasay City on Friday.

Jose Jessie Olivar, a 49-year-old bus driver and president of Philtranco Workers Union-Association of Genuine Labour Organizations (Aglo), was booked for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Also rounded up were 25 employees of the Philtranco terminal on Apelo Street, Barangay 151, including drivers, conductors, security guards and loaders.

Search warrant

Armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan of Pasay Regional Trial Court – Branch 111, members of the Pasay police intelligence and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) units raided the employees’ quarters at the terminal around 10:30 a.m. Friday.

PO2 Monsier Navarro and PO2 Alvin San Buenaventura applied for a warrant after Tomas Miranda Pacheco Jr., Philtranco officer in charge, reported that Olivar and Bonifacio Gargar, another union member, were keeping firearms and ammunition in the company premises.

Drugs also found

The raiding team found a fragmentation grenade in an ice box, a 12-gauge shotgun inside a locker, and a .38-caliber revolver and two .22-caliber revolvers in different drawers, along with several rounds of ammunition and a katana or Japanese sword.

The Pasay police said they also found an undetermined amount of suspected “shabu” and drug paraphernalia.

In a statement, labor groups Aglo and Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino denounced Friday’s arrests as a “form of harassment from the management since the union will be holding their election on June 20,” where Oliver is seeing reelection.

‘Harassment’

Nick Elman, Aglo spokesperson, said the firearms and explosives were “planted evidence.”

“It’s pure and simple harassment from the management. They know Olivar is popular and they could not beat him,” he said, adding that the union would be filing a notice of strike next week to protest the raid.

The Inquirer tried to call Philtranco officials but they could not be immediately reached for comment on Saturday.